The Local Weather Report: The Dog Days of Summer

Friday

Aug 30, 2019 at 9:07 AM

A lot of people making a small sacrifice by turning the AC up a few degrees on peak afternoons can make a big difference in what we all pay and in reducing emissions.

“Baby, it’s hot outside. Ready to crank it up?” On Monday last week, my mutt Lena sprawled out in her favorite spot in front of the air-conditioner. Outside the temperature had hit 90. Time to punch the AC dial up to 78 degrees and Shave the Peak.

Lena actually does better at 78, or so I’ve read about most dogs and cats. For the humans in the house, too, setting the AC just 10-15 degrees less than the outside temp still feels pretty good, if we keep the humidity out.

Peak summer days, when the mercury hits 90 or higher, is when we use the dirtiest, most expensive fossil-fuel sources for our electricity. Air conditioning is the biggest cause of the peak. Then when people get home from work and start using electricity for cooking, cleaning, and entertainment, demand for electricity really spikes.

So does cost. Last year the hourly megawatt price utilities in our state paid during the peak jumped from about $30 to $300 in the same day. Electricity demand nearly doubles during peak hours, according to Kai Salem at Green Energy Consumers Alliance. We spend about 40% of our electric bills on 10% of the hours in a year.

The peak increases future cost, too. When utilities plan their contracts and infrastructure spending, they base transmission and distribution costs on peak demand. If we keep demand down on those days, we can collectively avoid those cost increases. Plus, anything you do to shave the peak by conserving electricity helps reduce your own bill in the most expensive months.

But the most important reason to Shave the Peak is that it substantially reduces our carbon emissions. “Peaker plants” using coal, oil, and gas only fire up on those peak days. Here in Middleborough we use a two-megawatt “gas peaker” generator in the south of town.

If a large number of people can be mindful about not using any more electricity than they truly need in the late afternoon till about 8 p.m. on a handful of peak days, it can make a real difference for all of us. August 19 may have been the peak for this month, but summer’s dog days could bring more. Last year we had a peak day on September 7.

Back in July, when Sustainable Middleborough sent out its first Shave the Peak alert, Suzette and Tom Tanguay had already planned a pool party with family members from three other households. When they got the alert, they decided to run appliances early in the day. Once the peak began in the afternoon, they turned off the AC, shooed guests into the pool and under a pergola, and fired up the grill. They even turned off the pool pump — a huge electricity suck for a residential customer — for the peak hours. Everybody had fun. And they saved AC, the biggest driver of electricity on peak days, in four separate houses.

This month, Sustainable Middleborough member Dody Adkins-Perry shaved the peak by cooling and dehumidifying her house in the morning, then turning up the thermostat several degrees when the peak started. She treated herself by baking cornbread in the morning to go with a hot lunch, then went to a potluck dinner of mostly cold salads with her book club near a beach.

Every bit helps on 90-degree-plus days. There are so many ways we use electricity, and so many ways to cut back:

• Delay using big appliances like your dryer, washing machine, oven, dishwasher, or TV until later at night.

• Use a programmable, remote, or smart thermostat and appliance timers.

• Turn off unnecessary lights and anything else you don’t need.

• Running a dehumidifier in the basement at night, paired with a ceiling fan, can actually feel cooler than AC.

• Wait till night to recharge batteries in portable electronics or an electric vehicle. Unplug anything with a box on the cord.

• Stay cool by closing shades and curtains, staying hydrated, sitting in the shade or on a porch, using fans, and catching a cross-breeze.

• Even if you have solar panels, the lower your demand is, the farther your clean energy can go out on the grid and reduce the use of coal, oil, or gas peakers.

Lena’s and my favorite way to shave the peak? Head to a dog-friendly lake or beach at the end of the day for a walk and a dip. Enjoy these dog days of summer. Some of the best things to do don’t use any electricity at all.

To sign up for peak alerts (for both summer and winter), go to greenenergyconsumers.org/shavethepeak; or sign up for e-alerts in the lower right at mged.com/peakalerts; or email sustainablemiddleborough@gmail.com.

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